How to make a hand-made candle in the form of flower bouquet

Introduction

It is an old and trite tradition to bring flowers as a present for some special occasion. This tradition was passed on from generation to generation. But unfortunately the flower bunch can deliver as much troubles as joy: it creates the whole mass about searching for proper vase, location in the room, and finally tiding up the floor and all around after the traces of leaves and petals. I am sure most women understand what I mean. So what is the way out: just give up and leave alone the idea to see shining eyes of your dear woman the flowers are meant for? For sure, not! Do not change the traditions, just be unique! Please your close people or friends with flower bouquet, not of regular flowers but of paraffin ones. It is a very bright idea that will bring joy together with the cosines and warmth of your soul to your beloved woman, grandmother, or mother. By choosing a good combination of colors you will be able not only to bring an aesthetic pleasure but to create a nice atmosphere that can influence the inspiration and even wellbeing of your close people. Let’s analyze basic colors that will be used in the bouquet. Few people know that white color in the candle denotes sincerity and pureness. It is very helpful in relieving your mind from dark thoughts you were followed by during the day. The red color is a symbol of passion, desire and power. This color is the source of hidden energy and will be so helpful for those women who need an additional source of confidence. Orange candles symbolize luck and success. Many people believe that this color can strengthen friendly relationship. The yellow color helps to concentrate attention and to improve memory. The pink color is the shade of tenderness and harmony. Finally, the green color is an essential color for any bouquet. This color bears the potential to improve the financial position, who would refuse?! Now you know that your present will not be just a pretty kickshaw but will be a higher symbol with the deep meaning and a piece of your soul inside.

You´ll need

Plain candles of different color or white ones

Knife (or blade)

Several shallow plates

Wax crayons

Big bowl for water bath

Several smaller porringers

Steps

We are going to need some material for making a hand-made candle. In the shops you can find special colorful or colorless paraffin that is very convenient in use but it is much more expensive than a regular candle, in addition you will have to buy a wick separately. Let’s save money and buy just regular plain white candles in any domestic store. We will need three pieces. I bought colorful candles but they appeared to have color covering but inside they were white. Probably their manufacturer had no idea anyone would decide to smelt them. Well, we take the first candle, in my case, a yellow one.

You would better break the base-candle into pieces for a quicker process of melting. For this purpose take a porringer and work with candle over it not to lose smaller particles of paraffin while cutting the candle. With a help of the knife make short cuts at approximately one inch from the edge, now it is easy to break this piece and take it from the wick that is inside. Repeat this procedure piece by piece until you finish this candle. Be careful not to damage the thread of wick, we are going to use it later. All candle pieces are in the porringer now. Put the wick aside.

We will smelt the wax on the water bath. If you face this notion for the first time, I explain it for you: we take a big bowl or cooking pan, pour water by half and put it on the gas cooker with a medium fire. When water is boiling, reduce fire to the slow mode or switch off. This bowl is your bain-marie where you can heat the candle pieces.

Take the porringer with the candle, ex-candle, I would say, and place it floating on the surface of boiling water in your water bath. Just be careful with placing the porringer inside – no water is allowed to get into the porringer. Otherwise water will create bubbles inside paraffin and it will spoil your beautiful flowers. Well, now we give some time to the wax melting. Stir it with a fork for a quicker process.

Yellow color of my candle is not bright at all, I would wish to make it richer – I want my flowers to be orange. Violet, blue or bright-yellow flowers will look so good – it is up to you. At this step we will need wax crayons. They will add our color. Even coloring matter for foodstuff will do. Pay attention that crayons should be made of wax. Wax will melt well together with paraffin. Take, please, the crayon of necessary color.

Split it into pieces the same way you did it with the candle. The smaller parts you make, the quicker process will be. Two-three small pieces will be enough for you.

At that time our water bath did its job: in the porringer you see a homogeneous liquid instead of candle pieces. Make sure that the liquid is without any nubbins; all the hard paraffin leftovers should be smelt completely.

Now act as a chef for a moment – add some chopped crayon choosing the amount by the desired richness of color. Stir until the liquid is homogeneous again. Take into account that the color in the porringer will be much faded after wax cools down.

As soon as the liquid of necessary color is homogeneous again, take a kitchen towel or, better, oven glove (watch out, very hot steam is over the bowl!) and take out the porringer. Pour the liquid paraffin into a shallow plate. Do not shake the plate to have the surface plain while cooling. An important moment: it will take just few minutes to get paraffin cooled down but still soft, check it timely. If you miss the necessary point, do not get upset. You will just need to return the porringer inside the water bath again, repeat the procedure with melting the paraffin one more time.

So, paraffin in the plate must be still hot but harder. The thickness will allow you to shape the flower and hold it in your hand, but it should be still soft enough for molding. Now using the kitchen or office knife cut the paraffin layer into four segments. Each segment will be a flower. While cutting, check the thickness of paraffin if is ready for further manipulation.

It is time to apply your artistic skills. On each segment, draw a flower slightly pressing with the knife tip. If you are satisfied with the shape – cut it out.

Here is the flower you got. I remind once again, it should be compliant for molding but hold the shape at the same time. If some spots of the flower are hard already, you will fail to continue with it.

In order to make the flower resemble its real prototype we do some simple steps. But you should be quick in your work to catch the time while paraffin is still soft. Press with your thumb a finger-print in the middle of each petal. Slightly stretching petal edges, make them narrower. The petal edge must be thinner than the middle.

Now curl the petals inside, as on the picture. The pleasure of art is in creating your own unique shape and it is not necessary to copy the model. This way you may make a flower of any shape, for example petals can be longer with narrow tips. Let your imagination free!

Now we gather the petals close to each other in the middle but with the edges spread. Press the bottom of each petal with your fingers making it very narrow. Here are very cute unblown buds.

The same way you need to make four pieces. Do not apply too much effort to make them identical. Let your buds differ like natural ones!

It is time to make the most beautiful flower in your bouquet – a rose. Rose is truly feminine and delicate flower. I took the red candle meant for rose, but it is up to you to choose the color. You know that roses can be of various colors: yellow, white or even black!

You have already got the skills of cutting the candle. Do the same procedure, chop the candle into pieces and put them into the porringer.

Have a wax crayon of necessary color ready for use.

Chop the wax crayon. At first, I tried to crumble the crayon as finely as possible, I even grated it but after many attempts I came to the conclusion – it is a waste of efforts. The wax crayon is made of wax that melts in the liquid paraffin so quickly, even if you put it inside as a whole thing. So, do not waste your time and effort – learn at my experience!

Place the porringer on water bath (a well-known procedure, already). As soon as the candle is liquid add the color and stir thoroughly.

Now pour the paraffin into a shallow plate but a layer should be thinner than the one for previous flowers. Be careful with a very hot porringer!

For shaping a rose, the paraffin should be even more compliant. It means you will need less time for cooling down. For your first petal, that will be the middle bud, you cut a mould of some strange shape as on the picture (I guess, it is a kind of triangle).

In order to sculpture the rose petals in a nice way, I advise you to use a temporary stalk. I took a screwdriver for this purpose, but you can replace it with any stick, pencil or a long nail. While the piece of wax is still soft, take it from the plate and press it with fingers making the edge thinner. Wrap it around the stalk on the top. The first petal is ready!

At this step on the picture you see how the petal looks like and what approximate size it has relatively to palm. Do the same procedure with the second petal – wrap it around, too, but fix it to the first petal slightly pressing on it.

The result should be something as on the picture.

Repeat again and again, attaching petals one to another.

When you ran out of soft paraffin, finish with petals – it is time to put the wick inside (you still have it somewhere, do you?). You need a length of about 2 inches (4-5 cm), it depends on the rose height. Cut the necessary piece.

Tie a large but not tight knot on one edge of the wick. You need it just to hold the wick inside. It is also possible (but not necessarily) to tie a small screw-nut on the edge.

Take off the rose bud from its stalk, the screw driver in my case. Inside you have a thru slot now – this is the very place for wick. So not get upset if your rose bud is not as puffy as you wish it to be. We are going to use the second portion of red paraffin for this purpose. Take your leftovers (for sure, you will have them) and melt them on water bath.

Once again pour the liquid with a thin layer into the plate. Cool down a little.

Now the same way you worked previously, continue with the petals of your pretty rose. Curl the edges of a rose outside, coping the shape of a natural rose.

Use the leftovers of red wax that is still quite soft. Roll small pistils with your fingers and stick them inside those four orange flowers you made previously. If your paraffin is already too hard for sticking it to flowers, you can make a trick. With a help of burning match or lighter melt the round top of pistil. You got it, now the paraffin is compliant again agreeing to deal with you.

Just one more touch is left. What bouquet can be without green leaves? Break the last candle without any regrets!

Chop a way crayon to add juicy green color to our future leaves.

Again your water bath is working. Stir the wax without hurry.

Pour it into the plate and wait until it cools down a bit – for three-five minutes.

Cut out the leave-like shape, or just try to.

Take the future leave from the plate and mould it with your fingers.

With the knife or blade make a similar pattern on your leaf.

While leaf is still hot and sticky attach it to the bottom of an orange flower.

Do the same way with all the flowers.

Since leaves are only four by the number of orange flowers, you will have half of green paraffin left on the plate. It is very good. On the picture you see such a green crescent, it will be the basement for our candle composition. If the basement paraffin is hard already, you may use already known trick with the burning lighter to attach flowers.

When you attach flowers, press them tightly to get them stuck properly. We do not want to see your composition broken right after greeting a new owner. Well, now you shall give this masterpiece to a woman who deserves such work and effort of yours.

Warnings

Be careful with a hot porringer and steam even if it looks so harmless. It is better to take proper precautions than suffer from hurting burns after. So use, please, oven gloves!

You can put the wick inside all flowers in your composition, not only a rose. This way the candle will be more unique.

Do not forget, if your paraffin is too hard already to be sticky, you can always start the procedure from the very beginning with melting it, it will take five-ten extra minutes. But also you can use the trick with the lighter, it helps a lot!